Washington, DC - A Presidential commission's
report recommends that marijuana be legalized.
The Commission concluded that marijuana users
"are essentially indistinguishable from their nonmarijuana
using peers by any fundamental
criterion other than their marijuana use."
They found that, "Neither the marijuana user nor
the drug itself can be said to constitute a danger
to public safety."
The Commission recommended "Decriminalization of
possession of marijuana for personal use on both the
state and federal levels."

The Commission's findings caught many by
surprise, since both the President and the former
Republican governor of Pennsylvania, who
chaired the Commission, have reputations for
tough 'law and order' approaches to drug law
enforcement.
The President refused to read the report. He said
in a news conference, "I am against legalizing
marijuana. Even if the Commission does
recommend that it be legalized, I will not follow
that recommendation."

*The Shafer Commission issued its report on marijuana policy on March 22, 1972-30 years ago. President Nixon ignored the scientific advice he was given. The Netherlands, which had a similar commission, did not. Today, marijuana use in Holland is half that of the U.S.1

Over 100,000 Americans die annually from consumption of alcohol.2
None (0) die from consumption of marijuana.3
734,497 arrests were made for marijuana in 2000.4
Countless families destroyed.

Is criminalizing marijuana use sensible public policy?
Is it time for marijuana to be treated like alcohol?